Apple going to acquire ARM

I don't think I've read a news article that has pissed me off soo badly in my entire life.

Apple, is possibly going to acquire the UK chip architecture licensee ARM as discussed in this article : http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/21/apple_arm_acquisition_rumor/

This would be extremely bad for all mobile phone/device makers as a ridiculous amount of devices that you own are probably powered by an ARM based processor. ARM itself doesn't make the processor, however it licenses its IP to companies like Marvell, Qualcomm, and Freescale to make the chips.

Just looking around my apartment, my Router (Linksys WRT310n), Mp3 Player (Zune HD), TV (Sony Bravia), Phone (Nokia E71), and my Squeezebox Boom all run off ARM architecture processors. Since it only licenses its IP, if Apple acquires them it will enable it to cutoff its IP and all of those devices will have to be radically redesigned.

This news comes hot on the heels of newly announced Windows Mobile 7 phones which run ARM based Qualcomm Snapdragon processors that are extremely well designed and are a threat to Apple's iPhone. I don't even know if this deal will pass regulation as it will give Apple a stranglehold on the entire mobile electronic domain.

EDIT (5/13/2010) (It looks like this never came to fruition, but I will keep following the issue)